Which command redirects standard error to a file, overwriting existing content?

• A. Command 2> File
• B. Command 2>> File
• C. Command > File
• D. Command &> File

Answer: (B)

Redirecting the error stream to a file and replacing any existing content uses the 2> redirection. The 2 refers to the standard error file descriptor, and the single greater-than symbol (>) opens the target file for writing in a way that truncates it, so any previous content is wiped out as new error output is written. In contrast, 2>> File would append to the file rather than overwrite. For completeness, > File redirects standard output (stdout) and truncates the file, and &> File redirects both stdout and stderr to the file. So for just error output that should overwrite the file, the correct form is 2> File.